IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - September 2021 - 60

Feature
Sustainability Means
Inclusivity: Engaging
Citizens in Early-Stage
Smart City Development
Katherine Harrison
Department of Thematic Studies, Linköping
University, 581 83 Linköping, Sweden
Ahmet Börütecene and Jonas Löwgren
Department of Science and Technology,
Linköping University, 581 83 Linköping, Sweden
 The challenge of how cities can be designed
and developed in an inclusive and sustainable direction
is monumental. Smart city technologies currently
offer the most promising solution for long-term
sustainability, but the impact of such solutions will
be significantly reduced without long-term, widespread
adoption by citizens.
The need to develop effective solutions to ensure
sustainability is urgent. The World Health Organization
predicts that 70% of the world's population will
live in cities by 2050 (from 55% today), although this
figure has already been surpassed in certain areas.
Rapid urbanization is exerting pressure on freshwater
supplies, sewage, the living environment, and
public health, while urban spaces consume the most
energy and produce 70% of human-induced greenhouse
gas emissions [1].
In the smart cities concept, the Internet of Things
(IoT) is a key technical enabler as it allows sensors,
software, and communication functionalities
to
cooperate with other connected devices. This makes
it possible for sensors to provide data which will be
used to act upon their environment, for example,
fitting trash cans with weight sensors allows collection
to take place only when needed, reducing garbage
truck trips which reduces traffic, pollution, and
Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/MTS.2021.3101817
Date of current version: 2 September 2021.
60
0278-0097/21©2021 IEEE
Desirée Enlund
Department of Thematic Studies, Linköping
University, 581 83 Linköping, Sweden
Rasmus Ringdahl and Vangelis Angelakis
Department of Science and Technology,
Linköping University, 581 83 Linköping, Sweden
personnel costs. Participatory sensing (PS) transforms
the IoT into an Internet of people by allowing
citizens to network and share sensor data from their
personal smartphones [2]. PS has the potential to
involve and engage local communities in collecting
and sharing data about their environment, with
the goal of addressing relevant challenges (e.g.,
traffic emissions), whilst at the same time empowering
community members to make informed decisions
about their daily routines (e.g., route or mode
of transport) [3]. To date, however, PS has mostly
failed due to limited contribution by users and little
trust from involved stakeholders. Participation has
been limited to specific user groups, and although
techniques to ensure participation are well understood
at the technical level, they do not match well
in the real world [4].
Arguably, the relative failure of PS to deliver on its
full potential thus far is an illustration of a more general
shortcoming of IoT deployment, namely that it is
oftentimes developed by engineers and researchers
focusing on technical capabilities. The brief history
of IoT in public spaces (i.e., smart city technologies)
already offers many examples of well-meaning technical
systems ending up in disuse due to privacy
intrusions, usability problems, and simply lack of
meaningful services and offerings [5]-[8]. In short,
we feel that approaching smart city technology as a
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - September 2021

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